Farragut approves additional design work for Sonia Drive sidewalks amid driveway and scope concerns

The Farragut Board approved a supplemental design fee request for the Sonia Drive and Admiral Road sidewalk project on May 7 after staff explained topographic challenges and driveway impacts encountered during design.

Staff said the original agreement covered sidewalk design for the north side of Sonia Drive; subsequent scope changes added sidewalk on the west side of Admiral Road and extended the project. Topographic constraints at the eastern end of Sonia Drive prompted additional design work to avoid widening the roadway, which would have affected several existing driveways. Several board members asked whether the town could limit construction to the parental-responsibility-zone boundary (Wardley Road) to avoid rerouting driveways and asked for a cost comparison; staff did not have a precise cost estimate for truncating the project but said designing the full corridor now allows bids to be written with bid alternates so the board can choose which segments to construct.

At the meeting staff said the supplement would cover additional fees related to unforeseen topographic work; the transcript records a final contract amount after supplement that appears inconsistent in wording, so the precise final contract total is not stated here. The board approved the supplement request and directed staff to include ad-alternates in the bidding process so members can choose scope at construction time.

Next steps: staff will complete the design, prepare bid documents with alternates, and return to the board with construction cost estimates and recommended segment priorities when bids are received.